Banshee
by Lalaith Quetzalli
Summary: -AU to Nightingale.- Sometimes there are monsters that can only be defeated by other monsters; sometimes the darkness is needed to combat the darkness and bring back the light. Not just anyone can step into the shadows and come back from them but she will try, for love, of her match and of every person they both call their own. (GotG xOver) Warning for Violence.


So... we're early... aren't you surprised? I kinda warned you this was coming though. I'm taking a plane tomorrow and will be out of the country until late next Tuesday. Which means it was either updating today, or next Wednesday... Yeah, I thought you would prefer it this way. If anyone's interested, I'll be in Columbus, Ohio, mostly for the International Bookfair my editor has organized. I'll be selling and signing books in the Central Library on Saturday. Also, I'll be staying in town two days more. So if anyone would like to go say hi, maybe buy one of my books, I'd be delighted.

Now, regarding the AU itself. This piece is a One-Shot, following the basic idea I told you all almost three weeks ago. Hope you'll like it.

Dreamcast: Emily Browning as Nightingale/Eos, Amanda Seyfried as Ylva, Shiloh Fernandez as Fenrir, Katie McGrath as Helena/Hel, Kristin Scott Thomas as Kathryn Adler-Salani, Emma Watson (as she looks in Beauty and the Beast) as Tawariell, Ben Barnes (as he looks in Prince Caspian) as Caél.

Also, please remember the Spider-Man (and co.) here comes from Amazing Spiderman, only the first movie though. Afterwards he went through things a bit similar to the first two movies in the Raimi trilogy. Mary Jane ended with Harry Osborn (it's all been better shown in the main series, and the side-story 'The Return', though you don't actually have to read those to understand this).

This fic can be read as a stand alone, though you'll understand some things better if you have read the main timeline. Particularly the first chapters of Nightingale, for what happened before what is shown in the fic, and Necklace of Songs, for a certain someone's past life.

The song in this piece is "Rise" originally sung by Katy Perry, for this one listen to Abigail Duhon's cover please. It's one of my favorite's and fits oh-so-well with how I imagine Nightingale singing this song.

WARNING: Things do get a bit dark in this one, mention of torture, and the consequences of such (physical, mostly).

* * *

Banshee

(Alternative Universe to _Nightingale_ )

 _By: Lalaith Quetzalli_

 _Sometimes there are monsters that can only be defeated by other monsters; sometimes the darkness is needed to combat the darkness and bring back the light. Not just anyone can step into the shadows and come back from them but she will try, for love, of her match and of every person they both call their own._

Fear solidified into a shield, pain sharpened into a blade, weapons for me to wield.

I knew all the legends, of course; had known them for over a lifetime. There were several stories, but all were basically the same: songstresses who, driven by fear and pain, would use their voices as a weapon. When I was young back then it seemed just unthinkable to me; voices are an elf's greatest asset, singing the way they… we express what's at our very cores. While for many years it was relegated to little more than a courting ritual, and perhaps a way to connect with our loved ones; it had always been believed that songs could carry power. There were stories of elven princesses from ancient times that, through their songs, could communicate with their beloveds through long distances, could offer aid, and it was said at least one had even been able to spin magic through those very same songs.

And then there were the darker legends. The ones about the songstresses who would use fear and pain instead of love and dedication to put power behind their voices. It was said that what came from their throats weren't songs but wails, and that they did not bring good things, but bad. I couldn't imagine it, using something as important as an elf's voice, songs, to hurt; and then my life took a most unexpected turn, and suddenly I knew exactly what had been behind all those banshees of legend. And not just that… I became one myself.

It wasn't supposed to be like that. As a child I never imagined ever wanting to be anything like a banshee. Hurting, wishing ill on anyone never crossed my mind. And then… things happened. I never thought about banshees, not even when I first used that power. Perhaps because, for me, it wasn't really about hurting others, it was about protecting; myself, my match, about using the one thing I could still use as a weapon, when all others were beyond my reach.

So I did it. When I had lost almost everything, all but myself and my love… I opened my mouth and I screamed.

The first time I did it… there were a lot of people around, but there were also a lot of sounds, people crying out, calling for help, glass breaking, constructions crumbling, shots and so much more. A veritable battle taking place, no one paid much mind to a single scream, even if the pitch was such that, had anyone actually been listening, they'd have noticed no fully human throat could have caused it.

That was alright, it's not like I ever cared for people finding out about what I was doing. I did what I was meant to do, my part of the plan, and then I made my way to where my match was waiting for me. He was more than a little worse for wear, and while I didn't like it, I also knew there was nothing that could be done about it. So I just sat next to him and waited for what we both knew was coming. The so-called heroes were on their way, they would deliver our fates; and we'd wait for the next war (which we knew was coming, even if no one else did).

 **xXx 3** **rd** **Person xXx**

The second time she wailed, no one was there to see, or at least no one that would keep on living and remember afterwards. Thor was the one to come across the aftermath: his beloved Lady Jane (Dr. Jane Foster), in a daze, a drop of blood falling from one of her ears (though the damage was thankfully not permanent); his own mother, Queen Frigg, laying unconscious on the steps leading to her balcony, in full armor, the back of her gown covered in blood, except there was no wound; and then, the most shocking part of all were what looked like pieces of blackened rock and ashes, the remains of what once was a Kursed… one of the most terrible creatures in all the Realms and a monster in the service of Malekith, King of the Svartalfar. Prince Thor immediately demanded an explanation, that someone find out what had happened there that day, but no one ever could give him the answers he sought. And they never suspected her, how could they have when, according to all records, she'd never left her spot in the Asgardian dungeons? In the very cell she shared with Loki Friggson.

No one knew who she was, nothing more than the name Loki called her by: Eos. And that she was small, human-looking, with greyish-auburn hair and dark-hazel eyes. She'd been with Loki throughout the whole Chitauri fiasco in 2013. Had danced with him in that gala in Stuttgart, wearing a violet gown; had been 'taken' with him by SHIELD (by then in a green gown instead), been broken out by a bunch of mind-controlled humans, after Loki (temporarily) killed Agent Coulson; and while she hadn't been actively leading the invasion with him (in fact, no one knew exactly where she'd been for most of it), they'd found her sitting beside him after it all ended. SHIELD believed her to be human, but her connection with Loki was undeniable, and not just because of the symbols burned around her right wrist, which clearly showed a level of allegiance to him, but they'd been simply unable to separate them, some magic keeping them together no matter what was done to try and change it. They'd even gone as far as threatening the life of one, or both, and while Loki had gritted his teeth, she hadn't responded at all. It was Lady Frigg who pointed out they were bound, in body, mind, heart and soul. And thus they were judged and condemned together.

The Queen didn't like it. Then again, she'd never agreed with Loki being sent to the dungeons either, convinced that there must be more beyond his actions than merely a desire for mayhem and destruction. In the end all she managed to do was keep her husband and the council from being unnecessarily vicious towards the two. The cell was the same as any other, though the bed slightly bigger, enough to accommodate the two of them (it helped perhaps that the human girl was so small), they also had access to a private bathroom, proper meals and Frigg got to visit every week, sometimes even bringing books along with her.

She'd tried asking about the girl too, it was how they knew to call her Eos at all. She was also the one to discover the reason for her lack of speech. During one of her first visits, upon her question, her son had just turned towards the girl and nodded, to which she then proceeded to pull off the scarf she kept around her neck at all times, revealing a wicked-looking, badly healed scar that crossed her neck. It was so bad it was a miracle she hadn't died from such a wound… it also explained why she didn't speak… she simply couldn't.

A lot of freaky things happened after the dark elves' first attack on Asgard. Odin was going nuts over his wife seemingly almost dying, and with her still recovering from serious blood-loss (from a wound no one could actually find) he became negligent, forcing Thor to take over, with Jane Foster backing him up any way she could, even as she kept trying to find a solution for her Aether problem. There was a second attack, and Thor went over the Allfather to get Loki out of his cell to help (which he agreed to do with the condition that Eos stay by his side at all times). Jane also convinced him to agree when Lady Ylva (a Valkyrie) told him about Fenrir and what he could do to help in the battle if he was released.

Loki didn't even fight when he and Eos were sent back to their cell. And things were certainly made all the more interesting when Thor himself visited just a few days later.

"How long are you going to pretend that you are in there by anything other than your own will and lack of desire to be elsewhere, brother?" The blonde opened the conversation with the kind of thing that was more a statement than a question.

"You did not come to that conclusion on your own, the Lady Jane perhaps?" Loki teased, even as he hid his surprise at having been discovered.

"Answer the question, Loki." Thor pressed.

"Like you said, I have no interest in being elsewhere." The sorcerer said simply.

"But you could have escaped, you could be anywhere…" The Aesir prince didn't understand.

"She's safer here." Loki answered, so very quietly, eyes straying to the figure reading some book or another in a corner.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Thor really wasn't expecting that.

"I've made enemies Thor, some worse than others." The trickster half explained. "Some with little enough honor to be willing to go after mine, rather than myself."

"Your enemies would go after your lady to hurt you?!"

"Just like some of your own might choose to go after yours, once they realize how important she is to you. There is a reason why your friend chose to send her away when I attacked."

"You'd have never done that."

"No, I wouldn't have." A part of Loki felt warm, at Thor still knowing him that much, though he didn't let it show. "But not all your enemies will be like me."

"You're not my enemy brother, nor will you ever be."

That kind of statement, none of them really seemed to know how to follow it up, and perhaps it wasn't really necessary. Loki was still a criminal in the eyes of the law, still in prison, as was Eos, nothing could change that. But the brothers were still brothers, and somehow in a better place than they'd been in a long time, since before Thor's quasi-coronation in fact. And it looked like things might improve yet.

A couple of days later Loki and Eos were escorted out of the dungeons to attend Thor and Jane's private wedding ceremony. As it was explained, something had caused the Aether to break, a part of it actually merging with Jane. The power so much it'd almost killed her, it was actually a bit of a miracle that she'd managed to endure as long as she did on her own. The wedding, with the Ancient Vows included, bonded Thor and Jane in such a way that it allowed her to share his aesir strength, while he in turn shared the burden of the aether's power. It balanced out.

"You are… you are bound like this, aren't you?" Jane asked after the ceremony was over, looking straight at Loki and Eos.

Loki just smiled dangerously at her, but Eos nodded her head once, it was enough. Even if no one really knew why those two were bound in such a way… they clearly weren't stupid, and Loki understood magic in a way no one except perhaps their mother did (she'd been the one to suggest the Ancient Vows to Thor and Jane so…). They chose to trust.

 **xXx**

It was five years later, in late Spring of 2020, that everything changed in most unexpected ways. It all started with a ship arriving to Midgard. A spaceship that had crossed a whole galaxy to get there. It was called the Milano, and on board were a team known across the stars as the Guardians of the Galaxy. A group of former criminals (hustlers, thieves, and even a couple of assassins) lead by the half human Peter Quill, aka Star-Lord. The remaining members being Gamora, Rocket, Groot, Drax and Mantis. It was Gamora herself that instigated the change, in a most unexpected and seemingly innocuous way.

"Where is Loki?" Gamora asked, once all the Avengers and other various individuals present had been introduced to them.

"Loki…?" Several voices called at the same time, confused by that.

"You know my brother, Lady Gamora?" Thor inquired, shocked.

"I know both him and his match." Gamora answered, to everyone's further surprise. "I… I used to be Thanos's daughter." She shook her head. "That was before I understood the cruelty, the depravity behind his actions. It was Nightingale that made me understand how wrong I was… I used to believe that what Thanos did… that there was some… compassion to him, a mercy in his actions. I used to believe he'd saved me from a world already falling into pieces. And then, after meeting her, after meeting them, I began to understand. My world might not have been perfect, we might have been poor, and some times went to bed still hungry, but we were still happy in our own way. Thanos got me out, yes, but he killed everyone else, he destroyed my whole world. He, not the starvation, the poverty or some terrible cataclysm. It was then that I knew I had to do something, I had to get away from him, had to find my own path, somehow." She exhaled. "Still didn't think it was truly possible. Not until I saw them. The way Loki managed to play Thanos, twist him until he was doing exactly what Loki wanted, without realizing it. Or do you really think that Loki being sent as leader of the chitauri was a coincidence? He wasn't one of Thanos's children, and while his power is indeed great, it still shouldn't have been him. But he knew that if anyone else were to be sent… you'd have been destroyed."

"Please!" Tony scoffed. "We handled those alien bastards just fine."

"Have you not been listening idiot?" Rocket retorted. "Those 'alien bastards' destroyed Gamora's planet. And not just hers, but many others. Whole species have been decimated or even downright destroyed. And you think you survived, that your planet survived, because you're that good?"

No one knew how to reply to that until…

"So what?" It was Phil. "You're saying that Loki somehow convinced this Thanos into making him the leader of the chitauri and then he… orchestrated his own defeat?"

"Not as such, no." Gamora shook her head.

"That would have been too obvious." Her captain (and lover) Peter Quill said. "And that would have been dangerous both to him and to you."

"He gave you a chance." Gamora clarified calmly. "Which is more than you'd have had with anyone but him."

"Where is this Loki, really?" Quill asked then. "Gamora has told me so much about him since we got close enough to your planet, I'd love to meet the guy. And his girl too."

"They're imprisoned." Jane finally admitted.

"What?!" The Guardians clearly weren't expecting that. "Why?"

"For acting against Asgard and Midgard." Thor said solemnly. "They've been sentenced to life imprisonment."

"I am Groot!" The tree-like being intervened, a hint of vehemence on his tone.

Most of those present had no idea what had just been said, except the guardians who all nodded in agreement.

"I agree." Rocket was the one to somewhat clarify. "That's a load of crap!"

Thor had no idea what was going on exactly; though he did know one thing for sure. He'd be having a very serious talk with his brother.

 **xXx**

Loki didn't say a word when a dozen Einherjar escorted him and Eos out of their cell and straight to the Bifrost, which was then activated by Heimdall (even as he looked at Thor in such a way that showed quite clearly the Gatekeeper did not agree with whatever it was the blonde was doing). He just held his match through the trip, until they landed on the viewing deck of Stark's Tower (which had become the Avenger's Tower). Eos shivered visible at the memory of the last time they'd been there; but was thankfully pulled away from the bad memory of her match after being beaten up by the Hulk, when she noticed exactly who was there.

"Gamora..." Loki spoke for both of them, as he usually did. "It does us good to see you've found your way out of the Titan's chains."

"Why are you a prisoner?" The green-skinned woman demanded.

For a moment Eos looked like she might have snorted, or even outright laughed, if she could. That was just so Gamora, never one for pleasantries, always blunt and straight to the point.

"Why do all these humans not know all the things you've done, risked, the things… the things you have both sacrificed…?" Gamor broke off, her voice wobbly at the end.

They were all surprised when Eos rushed forward then to embrace the woman (chains still on her) as much as she could.

"That's not on you." Loki told her quietly. "That was our… her choice."

"What are you talking about?" Darcy asked, nosy as ever.

"I'm the reason the Nightingale cannot sing anymore." Gamora admitted very quietly.

"What?!" The shock was obvious.

What people expected even less, were the next words to fall from Thor's lips:

"She… she's your Lady Nightingale brother?"

"What does that mean Thor?" Jane wanted to know.

"In the years before my failed coronation, my brother had a friend." Thor explained. "The Lady Nightingale… my friends and I, we never met her. He talked about her often, about her kind heart and her beautiful voice… it never occurred to me to think she was the one." He looked straight at Eos for a moment, then back to Gamora. "What happened?"

"That's not my story to tell." Gamora murmured quietly.

And thus all eyes turned to Loki and Eos, though the girl was looking away from them, face burrowed in her match's chest.

"Eos is human, she's from this world." Loki revealed, running a hand through his match's dark auburn hair. "We met… when she was young, became friends. She was my best friend." He did not go into detail, some things they just didn't need to know. "When I fell off the Bifrost I… underestimated the damage the battle had caused me. Either that or I overestimated my own power. When I tried, I couldn't get myself into the shadow plane, and instead I fell through the abyss. Days, weeks, an eternity… time holds no meaning in the abyss. Eventually Thanos found me. He 'saved' me, though not before letting his chitauri torture me for a very long time. I almost lost my mind. Would have if it weren't for the half-formed bond that already existed between my Nightingale and myself. She saved me, even without being there. Then..." He shook his head, a hint of self-loathing touching his voice. "Then I went and did something stupid. I thought I'd managed to convince Thanos of my loyalty and slipped away to my Nightingale. He knew what I was doing… or if not know, at the very least he suspected. He had me followed and when they found my Nightingale… I would have died to keep her safe, but I couldn't. I was tortured for… a very long time. And when Thanos realized that her pain hurt me more than even my own, he took to hurting her. He delighted in making her scream, in watching me react to her every cry so… so Nightingale made sure he could do that no more."

"What… does that mean?" Darcy looked like she knew she was going to regret asking that question, yet felt she had to ask it anyway.

"You know what it means." Loki sounded almost hoarse as he said it.

Nightingale pressed herself to his side, offering what comfort she could.

"I did it." Gamora left no room for doubts. "She convinced me, somehow and I did it. I cut into her throat, straight through her vocal chords, leaving her voiceless."

Before anyone could say a word, react in any way Eos (Nightingale) pulled away from her beloved, twisting her hands in what looked like very specific ways, signs, which Loki translated dutifully, in a voice different enough from his own to show he was speaking for her:

"My voice, my life, my choice."

 **xXx Nightingale's POV xXx**

A lot changed after our meeting that day on Avenger's Tower, and a lot didn't. There were those who didn't like Loki and I being out of prison, who didn't agree that we'd been formally pardoned for our crimes. Tony had still given us our own floor in his Tower, though we both knew we were being closely monitored; nothing too bad, barely more than anyone else. We also knew we could leave at any moment if we so chose; then again, that had been the case in prison too, as Thor and Jane had been able to deduce years earlier.

Odin and Frigg were once again ruling Asgard, since Thor insisted he needed to be on Midgard for the upcoming war against Thanos. Still, Thor was the actual King, had been for five years, so even the once Allfather couldn't truly overrule him where it came to us.

We weren't alone, we shared the floor with Ylva and Fenrir; officially we were under their supervision. It had been an agreement to placate the human authorities who knew about us and didn't want us free, much less in their world. Unofficially… they were the only ones who really knew who we were. Who remembered who we'd once been, before Eos, before Nightingale, before Silbhé… a lifetime prior, back when I'd been the would-be Queen of Alfheim: Princess Tinúviel of Alfheim and Asgard, Prince Loki's wife and consort…

Things had been so wonderful back then, with Loki and I, and our beloved Helena (the light of our lives). Until the day I died a terrible death and the Allfather decided that the only way to stop my match from following me was to make him forget me. He believed (wrongfully) that if my love could no longer remember me, loving me, he wouldn't remember the pain of my loss either. He was wrong, so very wrong, my husband may not have remembered loving me, or losing me, but that didn't take away the grief. It made things worse, in a way, because he was in so much pain yet had no idea why. I also believed that the spell may have been too strong, because people not only forgot about me, they forgot everything connected to me, so they no longer knew why my love did some of the things he'd done, they saw his actions as mischief and cruelty rather than a man full of grief trying to hold on… even Sif, who was once our greatest friend, as good as our sister. Loki had changed her hair from blonde to black as a way to help her get over a terrible attack during she'd almost died, something she thanked him for at the time. But with all those memories gone Sif did not remember the attack, the blood on her golden hair; and she'd somehow come to believe that Loki's actions had been an awful prank that he simply refused to take back. She didn't know him anymore, didn't understand him.

It took me a long time to get back to him, nine centuries… and even then, I'm not sure we were ever supposed to know, not for sure. Until me it was believed that such a thing did not happen, a match could not move on without the other, so I shouldn't have been able to cross-over or even reincarnate, without my love first joining me on the Other Side. Then again, following that same line of thought, he should have either died with me or followed shortly afterwards. I didn't regret it, my love not dying; I even understood that all Odin had wanted at the time was not to lose another member of his family, his younger son… that did not erase all the wrongs he'd visited upon Loki (and me, and even others) ever since.

The first thing everyone insisted on, after that first awkward conversation in Avengers' Tower was learning who exactly I was. I hesitated for almost two full minutes, wanting so much to tell them so they might find out what had happened to my family, to my dad… but especially to my aunt. At the same time I was absolutely terrified. What would they think of me? What had Aunt Kathryn felt when she woke up to find me gone. My room wasn't even trashed, the bastards took me so much by surprise, following Loki like that, that I didn't even get the chance to fight back. My dad and I hadn't been exactly close by that point but Aunt Kathryn… she was the closest thing I had to a mother and the thought of the pain my absence might have caused her…

Eventually my desire… my hope of seeing her again won over all my fears. Loki knew the moment I made up my mind and gave the answer:

" _Her name is Silbhé Arianna Kinross Salani."_

That was the day I learned Kathryn Salani no longer existed, not really. Thankfully it wasn't because she was dead or anything; rather that she'd changed her name, again, to the one she'd had before moving in with dad and I to help him raise me, after mum had passed away. She was back to being Agent Kathryn Adler, of SHIELD; an elite agent known in some circles as the Sphinx. She hadn't been anywhere near NY during the invasion, thankfully; though that was mostly because she'd been tasked with making sure everything in another of their secret bases would remain secure.

Aunt Kathryn was flown in in one of SHIELD's quinjets the very next day. Fury was with her, and as thankful as I was to him (because I could sense the bond between them, and knew he had to be at least partially responsible for my aunt being alright), I still refused when he insisted on having his goons follow us into our private floor in the tower for our reunion. We allowed him with Aunt Kathryn, and that was already a lot, considering the threats he'd made of torture against both my love and I back in the helicarrier.

That reunion was one thing we managed to convince Tony to let us keep to ourselves, to have no records, nothing. It was very personal and I didn't want everyone to know what was said during it. Things went well, much better than I could have expected. Apparently Aunt Kathryn had known that 'Luka' was more than human, that he'd somehow saved me from the Cancer; she'd also never stopped believing that I was alive, somewhere, and would one day find my way back. She cried, when learning (in very general terms) what had happened to me, about the loss of my voice, about NY and our imprisonment… but in the end she believed that our reunion might have made things worth it. She also promised not to leave again, to help me until we were sure that the Mad Titan was gone, for good.

The greatest thing of all perhaps was the fact that she was able to give me back my little silk bag, inside of which was still my old black-jade dizi, my most precious possession; I could even find two healing vials: one with one dose in liquid form, and the other with two doses of the powdered version of the stone. They might not have been much, but knowing I had the means to treat those I love went a long way to making me feel safer. And the flute… it was more than I could ever find the words to express. It was music, recovering the instrument was recovering music in a way I believed to be impossible when I finally convinced Gamora to effectively cut through my vocal chords. I could also use it to communicate, assigning certain notes to words or letters; in case of an emergency, when sign-language wasn't an option.

Less than a week later I had my legal identity back (with a very small change): I was officially Silbhé Arianna Kinross Salani-Hvedrungr, wife of Luka Hvedrungr…

 **xXx**

It was almost three months after the arrival of the Guardians in the Milano that the Chitauri army arrived for their second attempt at invasion. Everyone was ready by then, some had even begun to doubt that there was such a danger. Though that hadn't stopped Tony Stark from gathering the richest and brightest from all over the world and somehow make them work together to create things that might help protect the planet. Between him, Dr. Reed Richards (and Tony clearly hated working with the pretentious older man yet did it anyway), Dr. Stephen Strange, Mr. Lucius Fox, Detective Sherlock Holmes-Watson from the UK, and Princess Shuri from Wakanda; they managed to create some quite amazing things.

"What I want to know is why now." Hawkeye muttered as they all worked to strategy for the upcoming battle.

Thanks to the brand new early-detection systems the team of geniuses had launched into space a month earlier they'd managed to pick up on the approaching army a week before they could be expected to get to Earth. They would be deploying weapons which they expected might help lessen their numbers by at least a third, giving them more of a chance at victory.

"Isn't it obvious?" Gamora rolled her eyes.

She still couldn't understand how some of the so-called Avengers were even supposed to be heroes when they didn't believe in each other. Granted, her own team hadn't been the best at first; but they'd also come together under the strangest circumstances (considering what and where each of them had been before meeting, and the fact that they'd met in an intergalactic prison of all places!). The Avengers had been a team for longer and yet most of the time they didn't seem to be a team, not fully.

"Man, I was so sure we'd arrive after the war had already begun, like hell late." Quill stated with a shake of his head. "It was until we got here that we understood what had happened."

"Which was…?" Black Widow insisted in her most blank tone.

Gamora and Quill blinked, realizing they really didn't know. All the Guardians' eyes turned to the corner where, as always, Loki and Eos stood (though she was actually sitting on the floor beside him, watching everything).

"You did something didn't you?" Darcy cried out abruptly. "To protect us!"

"What…?!" No one was expecting that, no one except Tony and Phil that is.

"Darcy and I had the idea." Tony nodded. "Well, she had the original idea and I ran with it. I always found it curious that we got no trouble from outer space after the invasion back in 2013. And even back then, it wasn't as bad as it could have been if, I don't know… the portal had opened somewhere like China; or, on the other hand, a remote location like Russia or Australia, where we might not have picked up on things on time to stop the whole of their army from entering our planet. Instead it happened in NY, a small, controlled portal, that never let more than a handful at a time, or one of those huge things. Of course, we now know that Loki controlled a lot of that to give us a fighting chance. To make it an actual war, rather than a slaughter. But I just knew there had to be more."

"Anyone ever wonder why it didn't happen again?" Darcy questioned then. "It's not like you killed all of them. Tony knew there were a lot more, he saw those things."

"Even if many didn't believe me..." The billionaire muttered under his breath.

"Not the point right now." Phil stopped him. "And I had considered it. Had some people in SHIELD look into it. Most believe it was because they no longer had the Cube, but FitzSimmons are convinced it isn't that. Because we know that Loki had been crossing into our world, as did some of the Titan's followers when they got Professor Salani. Which means that they didn't really need the Cube to get here."

"Exactly!" Darcy cried out with delight. "Which means that someone did something to keep the freaky Titan from coming back through one of those freakish portal-thingies. And who else could have the power to do something like that but the god of magic himself?!"

Yet again, all eyes were on Loki, who began clapping, slowly and with an air of sarcasm; at least until his match elbowed him on the shins, to several people's chuckles.

"Yes, I did something." Loki finally said. "Or it'd be more accurate to say We did something about it. What would the point have been of you winning one battle if you were always going to lose the war? And the only way to ensure that victory, or as much as we could 'ensure' it at the time, was to make sure there wouldn't be another battle at least for another half a decade." He let out a breath. "I actually expected it'd take longer for Thanos to choose to come here; then again, I did not expect for so many of the Stones to emerge in such a short time and on this planet!"

We'd already explained the Infinity Stones to them; or rather my love had. Everyone knew what they were, though it was still a zealously kept secret that Jane (and to a certain degree Thor too) held the power of what once what been the Aether, while the Reality Stone no longer existed as such. And it wasn't even the only one… though no one actually knew that part yet.

"He will not be getting his hands of the Time Stone." Stephen Strange stated with absolute conviction. "I have sworn to protect the Eye of Agammotto, and I shall."

"And I will stand with him." Helena stated calmly, by his side.

That was another thing that had surprised more than a few (though not us, not really). When our daughter, Helena (whom humans knew as Hel) stepped out of the shadows one day and joined us all; and it wasn't just about us, not really. As it happened, Stephen Strange was her match.

"He will not get the Mind Stone either." Wanda Maximoff announced fiercely, by the side of her own beloved, the android Vision, with the very stone in his forehead.

"Which leaves what?" Aunt Kathryn wanted to know.

"The Orb, the Power Stone." Gamora stated grimly.

"He got it before getting here from where Nova Prime was keeping it." Quill offered soberly. "Got his minions to decimate Xandar to get to it. It wasn't pretty."

No, it couldn't have been, and a part of me felt for the Xandarians, all they must have lost, their homes, their people… it reminded me of just why I… we, hated Thanos and his ilk so much: all the lives he'd destroyed, and would keep destroying until he was stopped, for good. And apparently a rag-tag group of heroes, most of them humans, and us, were the best chance at doing exactly that!

"What about the Cube?" Fury wanted to know, he clearly hated not knowing things. "How sure are you the thing is safe in Asgard?"

Thor and Jane turned to look at each other; it was obvious that the blonde wanted to state no place could be safer than the Asgardian Vault, but he knew better than that, they both did; and considering what had happened the last time the Realm Eternal was attacked.

My Maverick turned his eyes to me then, asking me without words if we were ready to face the consequences of our actions… I wasn't sure I was not really; but then again, I was never one to run away from things either. And I wasn't about to start so…

"The Tesseract is not something anyone needs to really worry about." My love stated with a calm he didn't fully feel.

I could sense his tension, the way he was preparing himself to fight, to protect himself, to protect me, if those around us took the revelation wrong.

"That's not possible." Thor shook his head. "Heimdall used it to rebuild the Bifrost."

"Heimdall thought he used it to rebuild the Bifrost." My match corrected with a mischievous smile on the corner of his lips. "Just like he, and nearly every other Aesir believed my love and I to be powerless prisoners in the Asgardian dungeons for the past seven years…"

"You have the power." Jane breathed out, her left hand clenching almost unthinkingly. "You've had it since before you left the first time…"

"We have." He nodded calmly.

"How?" She asked, and I had a feeling she already suspected the answer.

I gave it the only way I could, rising to my feet swiftly, going to stand before her and taking hold of her left hand with my own; we both felt the spark the moment our hands touched, and I knew so could our respective matches.

Thankfully no one got the chance to ask us how that was possible (because in that moment I had no idea how to even begin to explain that part); as right in that very moment a very loud siren began ringing. The chitauri had just passed the moon. The battle was about to begin…

The first attack went as planned, though more chitauri went down than had been estimated, closer to half the attack force than the third that was expected. That still left us with a hell of a lot of aliens to fight against.

For some reason the chitauri focused on our location, New York city; I didn't understand why, though Loki believed we might be the reason, if Thanos had been able to track us, or even just the Space Stone, that might be why he was sending his whole army against us. At first my love and I didn't do much, it was clear most of the Avengers still didn't trust us, and most of the other heroes, and certainly the SHIELD Agents, were taking their cues from them. And then Tony screamed. We all turned in time to see one of the chitauri forcefully pull its spear out of his shoulder before kicking Iron Man off the rooftop where they'd been battling. Somewhere Hulk roared, no doubt Banner pushing his other-self into trying to save him. We were faster.

Loki and I didn't plan anything, we didn't even look at each other; the decision was already made. Tony Stark had helped us; he'd looked at us and believed there was more to us than the leaders of the alien army that invaded his home. He gave us a chance, when so few others did. My love teleported straight into the air, taking hold of him and then teleporting to ground level; I teleported straight to the second point; ready by the time the two of them appeared beside me. My maverick didn't even ask any questions, a spell took care of the armor's arm, while the spear had already ruined half the chest-plate, showing an awful wound.

"Hey!" Tony cried out, voice low and broken, he was panting. "Wha… y…?"

"We're trying to help you." Loki interrupted him. "Now stop moving and let us help you."

Tony did as told. Giving me the chance to uncork the vial with the healing powder, dumping half of its contents straight into the dreadful hole in Stark's shoulder (dangerously close to his chest, to the energy source of his suits).

"Hey!" He cried out, spitting a bit of blood in between. "What are you doing?! Did you just dump dirt into my body…? Hey! I'm feeling better!"

I could have laughed in that moment. Tony's reaction was just precious. And while I could certainly shake enough, there was no laughter forthcoming from me; so I just re-corked the vial, put it away and turned to the battle still taking place.

We got more involved after that. Fighting would never be my first instinct, but I had the training, and I was good at having my love's back.

Two hours after the battle had begun, and while we'd certainly taken down a lot of enemies (chitauri and leviathan both), it didn't look like we were anywhere near done; and our allies were tiring fast, and more than half of them were injured.

I was already looking at my match when his eyes turned towards me. I knew exactly what he wanted me to do and I nodded.

"All of you who have sensitive hearing, I suggest you do your best to cover your ears." My love offered, straight into the comm Stark had given us before leaving the Tower.

Everyone replied right away, most of them with a mix of confusion and dismissal. My love looked at me and shrugged, it was up to me. I nodded, then took a deep breath, turned my face to the sky, and screamed…

 **xXx**

"What The Hell Was That?!"

The battle was over, we were all back in the tower, recovering; it wasn't even the first time that question had been asked; by one or more of those present. However, we'd both refused to even pay any attention to it until we were finished seeing to everyone.

"I thought she couldn't speak!" Hawkeye added right then.

"Screaming is not talking." Aunt Kathryn said very quietly.

"… and that was no scream, it was a wail." My match finally clarified.

"A wail?" Several of those present repeated. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"A wailing woman!" Darcy cried out with a huge smile. "She's a banshee!" She sobered up just a bit when all eyes turned to her. "What? I've been reading all the papers Professor Salani wrote. There was one on banshees. They're from Irish mythology. A fairy woman, a female spirit who heralds the death of someone by wailing, shrieking, or keening. Different sources differ on the details, some say the banshee would wail to announce a recent death, or an upcoming one; others that it was a warning when a person was getting into something they wouldn't survive, so they might avoid it. I also found one particular source that claimed banshees could shatter glass, possibly even hurt others through their wails; though not many people put any stock behind those particular theories."

"So she's a banshee?" Rogers wanted to know.

"It's more complicated than that." My love stated with a deep breath. "We don't know if the banshees of Irish mythology exist; the worlds being what they are, they probably do." He shrugged. "Eos is something different. She was once Ljósalfár."

"Ljo… what?" Quill asked, confused.

"It means light-elf." Thor intervened. "The inhabitants of Alfheim."

"Exactly." My love nodded calmly. "She was once one of them, before dying at the hands of the Enchantress Amora and being reincarnated into Silbhé Salani, my Nightingale." It was something we'd agreed on; no details would be given regarding my life as Tinúviel unless it was absolutely necessary. "Elves… they are said to have the most beautiful voices in all the realms, and their voices carry power. They can do things through their songs that even the best and most powerful spell-weavers would be hard-pressed to match. All elves are empaths, and through their songs that empathy is amplified, they can understand what everyone is feeling, and can make sure others feel not only their feelings, but whoever else they may choose to channel."

"That sounds amazing…" Mantis, the empath among the Guardians, murmured.

"It does, doesn't it?" Loki replied, a hint of steel in his voice that no one missed. "Few elves ever really use that power much. There are festivals where they will sing as a way to find their perfect match, they use songs to bless their families, children, loved ones, friends… but little more. Alfheim is mostly a peaceful realm, but it wasn't always so. There are stories, believed to be little more than myth; of elven princesses who have been able to use their voices as a weapon, songs of power through which they've motivated armies, influenced the outcome of battles, pushed back enemies, and many other things… all those being ladies, they're known as Songstresses, they are moved by their desire to protect those they love, to help, to save… all positive feelings. Now imagine what would come out from someone motivated by grief, and pain… imagine someone whose only feelings behind their voice are dark ones: despair, horror, pain, loss… those are the banshees as Alfheim knows them. For the most part they don't believe they exist. There are already so few elves capable of doing anything truly big through their songs, the idea of using that power in dark ways… it wouldn't even occur to most of them."

"But it occurred to someone." Romanoff murmured quietly, as all eyes turned towards me.

"Desperate times, desperate measures." Tony muttered, a hand on his own chest.

I could sense his understanding, his almost-kinship. He knew what it was to be in a completely desperate situation, to feel like there was no way out; and then be forced to create one, with consequences that one might not have intended, yet was still willing to face head on. Yeah, that was certainly us all around.

"The elves would see what she does as a dark ability, as a… corruption of all elves' natural gifts, empathy and song both but to us…" My love broke off.

For a moment we both saw it, the same memory, laying on the remains of that long-forgotten planet, surrounded by nothing but pain and destruction, blood staining the front of my ruined clothes, the cut across my throat having been hastily bandage with a piece of my match's tunic. I could almost feel the pain on my throat, and on the rest of my body, the pain I could no longer express, by my own choice. And then that day in New York, when we'd begun to fear that all our plans might fail, that the Mad Titan might win; the first time I decided to take the risk, turned eyes to the sky and called on all my power, wailing for the very first time.

I never planned on becoming a banshee. It's not the kind of thing one could ever plan for, not knowing the kind of darkness, the feelings that could power something like that… they weren't something one could ever plan to feel. It wasn't just the pain and grief, it was the despair, the moment where hope seems to be so completely gone, where you stand on the edge of a cliff, with a wall behind you and nowhere to go, up or down, nothing at all; where it seems like all you can do is fall (jump, let go, surrender…) and then to discover that you can fly, if only you're willing to do so on wings made of shadows… not just anyone is willing to embrace those shadows, the darkness in themselves, and use it, especially not without falling into that darkness and becoming the very thing that has pushed them to that point. I like to believe I haven't, that I've not become the very monsters that hurt me, that tortured me, tortured us both; that I've managed to take that darkness, those shadows, and use them to do what's right, and what's needed. And if that's true, the only reason I've managed is because of the love of my match. He's my partner, my anchor, my soulmate… my everything.

Our very serious conversation was interrupted in a most unexpected manner, by a masculine cry. Followed by a feminine cry, though that one was clearer:

"Vis!" It was the Scarlet Witch shouting.

The reason for both soon became quite clear, as well all got close enough to see Vision laying on the floor, seizing violently, Wanda Maximoff holding his head on her lap, trying to help him and clearly not knowing how.

"What's happening to him?!" She yelled at no one in particular.

"The stone is cracked." Darcy seemed to be the first to notice that detail.

My mouth dropped open in a silent 'oh' as I realized what had happened; and Coulson was just too observant not to notice that fact.

"You know something about this..." He muttered looking straight at us.

"It's an accident… but yes, it's our fault." Loki nodded grimly. "It's actually the third time this happens, and we still don't know why it does."

"Third…" Jane began, breaking off as understanding came upon her.

Her left hand opened and closed seemingly without her fully realizing it, even as red-ish sparks appeared around her fingers.

I bowed my head penitently, though not without mouthing a voiceless 'I am sorry' and making sure she saw it.

"You know what needs to be done now." Was all my love said, looking straight at his brother.

It was Thor and Jane who explained things then. About what had happened in Asgard during the confrontation against the Svartalfar, about the Aether, the breaking of it, the reason for Thor's and Jane's rushed wedding (Tony made a very crass comment about it being a better excuse than a pregnancy, for which Pepper smacked him in the back of the head). Then, when words failed them, it was up to my own match to explain the Ancient Vows, what they were, and the full consequences of pronouncing them.

Wanda did not doubt, not even for a second, not that I'd expected her to. It was clear to me how much she loved Vision, even before she'd known that something like matches existed, and that they had the potential as one (that they were one and had been from the beginning of time… though that none of us knew for a long time).

"I promise you that from this day on, you will be my only one. I shall look at no other the way I look at you, I shall think of no other the way I think about you, I shall talk to no other the way I talk to you, I shall desire no other the way I desire you, and I shall lay with no other the way I lay with you. I shall be with no other for you are now and forever shall be my one and only; my friend, my lover, my partner, my match…"

Those of us with the right kind of power could see the moment ribbons of multicolored light bound them together. Vision was no longer seizing (it was shocking and humbling to think that, even with the Mind Gem obviously hurting him terribly he'd managed to go through the Vows without missing a single word) and the Gem had vanished from his forehead, leaving his forehead smooth, as if it had never been there. Their left hands showed the truth though, the power that ran through them both.

Just like the power from the Reality Stone ran through Thor and Jane.

"You're the same." Tony blurted out unexpectedly looking straight at us. "With the Cube, or what was the Cube."

Loki and I said nothing, there was no need, the answer was as obvious as the blue glowing lights we were allowing to become visible on our own hands.

 **xXx**

We knew it wasn't over, not yet. That attack… it'd only been the first wave. We knew there would be another one, with a bigger force. Where even wailing might not be enough…

Calls for help had been sent beforehand, Thor had made sure of that, sending calls for aid to Vanaheim mainly; and secondarily to Alfheim. Vanaheim had promised to send several squadrons in time for the big fight (they hadn't been willing to commit to the war until they were sure Midgard could hold its own, refusing to sacrifice warriors if the humans weren't willing and ready to do the same… which I thought was logic in a somewhat twisted way, and incredibly callous as well). Alfheim has given no answer as of yet, and Thor hadn't even considered calling for help from Nidavellir.

"My lady…" Ylva whispered.

We were on the balcony on our floor, where I'd been doing my best to make a rose garden, something that might remind me of home.

I knew what it was Ylva was thinking, it was the same thing that had been running through my head since Thor had informed us all about the soon-to-arrive squads of Vanir-warriors, and Alfheim's continued silence on the matter.

The moment I nodded my head and turned to face her she was already offering me what she knew I'd need: pen and paper… I had a few letters to write. It'd seem the 9 Realms would be finding out that Princess Tinúviel was back, after all…

 **xXx**

The Vanir arrived first, which wasn't really surprising. Thor and Jane received them, with Tony Stark and Phil Coulson representing the Avengers and SHIELD respectively. Introductions were made, some vague explanations regarding Loki and his match (Vanaheim knew enough on that front already), what exactly was expected of the warriors. Demonstrations of the Avengers' abilities had been programmed for a few days later and then the group was lead to what was to be their temporary accommodations. FRIDAY was easy enough to understand for people used to Heimdall, so on that front it was easy enough.

We were no longer in New York by then. Believing that Thanos would continue to track down Loki and myself (or possibly the Stones), we'd moved to an old abandoned SSR base in North New Mexico, close to the border with Arizona. It was big enough for all the Avengers, several teams of SHIELD Agents, as well as allied gifted teams (Professor X had sent his two main teams of X-Men, while there was also a team of Inhumans, and another group of superheroes who called themselves the Justice League, as well as several other smaller and less organized groups). Tony of course had already gotten one of his AIs to take over management of the place, his secondary one: FRIDAY. JARVIS was always with him, but apparently he thought his first AI had enough on his plate already and didn't want to risk something going wrong if 'he' spread too thin or something. I had no idea how his AIs were supposed to work; him treating them like something very close to human had prompted most of us to follow suit, but still, the extent of their abilities was a mystery to all.

The Vanir had just taken off, following a SHIELD team to their new 'barracks', when the true surprise came as the Bifrost activated again.

Thor and Jane turned back immediately, doing their best to conceal their surprise even as they approached the newcomers to greet them. It was the elven group, comprised of what looked like two squads of warriors (all of them male, as was traditional) and three females, two spellweavers and a princess. They were all so breathtakingly beautiful, as usual with their race. Also, the young princess was easy to identify as she was wearing a flower crown on her hair. I recognized two of those present, one of the spellweavers and the leader of the Protectors; I'd known them a lifetime prior: Lady Thenidiel and Lord Erynion. I could also sense them looking for me, but I'd become good at staying concealed and wasn't ready to reveal myself just yet.

"Your Highness…" Thor greeted in somewhat stilted elvish. "I have to admit, I wasn't expecting your arrival on this day."

"Yes, it was a rather unexpected change in circumstances that have brought us here on this day." Erynion stated, and I could sense the tension in his body.

"Greetings, people of Midgard. Princess Tawariell of the Old-Wood, is who I am." The beautiful she-elf in a somewhat elaborate gown announced as she stepped forward, bowing her head. "I volunteered to lead this contingent on this day to come to the aid of your Realm in the battle against the Mad Titan."

"Pardon our lack of protocol, my lord and ladies." Jane offered with a very slight bow of her head. "Jane Svanhvit, wife of Thor, goddess of science and Queen of Asgard is who I am. You know of course who my match is. I hope you'll take no offense. We're just surprised by your presence here, it is my understanding that Alfheim has long since distanced themselves from both Asgard and Midgard."

"That's perfectly understandable, Your Majesty." Princess Tawariell nodded. "We understand that our arrival was unexpected; as were the events that have lead us here."

"Which are?" Tony asked, as tactless as could be expected from him.

"We received a letter, from one we never expected to hear from again…" The princess began before breaking off, seemingly at a loss for words.

Erynion gave a step forward, and I'd no doubt that he was a moment away from making any and all demands he could think off, beginning with where exactly I was. It wasn't exactly how I'd planned on revealing myself, but I decided I might as well step forth, before he said something that might be interpreted as an insult. It's not like I hadn't known I'd need to reveal myself once they arrived, both my love and I'd known that and were ready to deal with the consequences (for the most part at least). And then with another loud boom and a flash of rainbow light the Bifrost activated for a third time. That one we definitely had not seen coming, none of us.

I could sense the shock from everyone when the light cleared out, revealing a group of short, stocky-built men with a lot of facial hair and some heavy armor and weapons. It was bad enough that Thor didn't move, he clearly had no idea what to do or say, and without him no one else knew how they were supposed to react either. It's not like any of them had called on Nidavellir. So I nudged at my love, who just let out a breath, not a word needed to be said, we both knew we'd need to step forward… so that's exactly what we did.

With letters sent and visitors on their way I'd known it was but a matter of time before we had to reveal ourselves… before I had to reveal myself, and I'd dressed accordingly. My skin was still pale, my hair the ashen-auburn it had been since our time with Thanos… I knew the changes to my body were signals of the shadows inside me, in my powers, I was no longer just human, or even a reincarnated light-elf, I had traces of dark-elf in me (the pale skin and lightened hair were sure signs of it). That was something that would have thoroughly terrified my older self, it still somewhat terrified me, but I still believed what I had on the day I'd first opened my mouth and wielded those powers, I would never stop believing that. I was wearing a sand-colored dress, a bit heavy and with elaborate embroidery, the kind royal elves favored; but the background was completely sheer, allowing quite a lot of my skin to be seen (so much the Ljósalfár would no doubt be scandalized). I saw it as making a statement, announcing who I was and how proud I was of it, no matter what.

"You honor us with your presence, Your Highness." Loki spoke directly to one who seemed to actually be the youngest in the group.

We knew him to be the prince thanks to our memories (from my previous life). We'd learned to 'read' the beads dwarves wore on their braids. He was the only one wearing a royal bead, we also knew he belonged to the House of Erebor, the house that had been in power for as long as either of us could remember (which was a serious feat, considering that while dwarves lived longer than humans, they lived nowhere near as long as vanir and aesir did).

"Prince Loki." The dwarf nodded once at him. "I am Prince Caél, brother of King Filip, of House Erebor. I believe it's been a very long time since our families have been in touch, SkyTreader."

"They have indeed." Loki nodded. "Since your ancestor, King Thorne, ruled." He made a pause before adding, more quietly. "Since my princess's voice last graced your hallowed halls."

"That she did." Caél nodded, eyes sharp.

"My princess cannot sing, but she wishes you the best all the same." Loki stated.

At the same time I stepped forward, taking my place at his side; then, before disbelief could take over, I began twisting my hands swiftly and smoothly in very specific patterns. It wasn't sign language, or at least not any earth version of it. It was Iglishmek, and the dwarves all recognized it from the moment I shaped the first sign:

+Greetings, Prince Caél, brother of Filip, from the House of Erebor. I am Nightingale, daughter of Sebastian of Midgard, wife and consort of Prince Loki of Asgard. I am also the reincarnation of Princess Tinúviel of Alfheim and Asgard. It was I who sent your family that letter.+

I knew that just the use of the language was a dead-giveaway. Iglishmek… if dwarves held their language (khuzdul) as so sacred that they hardly ever allowed outsiders to learn it, and they never spoke it before said outsiders (it'd been a hell of an honor, as Tinúviel, when I'd been granted leave to both learn the language and use it); Iglishmek was the kind of language that had only been taught to outsiders once (thrice, as the legends told it, but the other two times had been back in ancient times, before the 9 Realms came to be as they are). I was that 'once', and I'd asked for the chance because it seemed right, just like I'd learned all the variations of elvish there were, including hwerme (their sign language).

"You sing no more, princess?" The prince asked me directly, head cocked to a side.

+I have no voice to sing with.+ I revealed, throwing my head back and pushing my hair out of the way, just enough to call attention to the scar crossing my neck.

He wasn't the only one to react to that scar, but while the dwarves nodded respectfully at me, recognizing the scar as one caused by a battle wound and respecting the fact that I was a warrior, and had managed to survive such an injury. The elves on the other hand… I'd somehow managed to forget them, that they were still there; only for them to hiss, Princess Tawariell almost shrieked in dismay at it all.

"Princess Tinúviel…" Lady Sanya (the other spell-weaver) called to me.

I could barely keep myself from rolling my eyes, that was exactly why I hadn't stepped forth from the beginning.

"Her name is Nightingale now." My love stated for me, voice solid and unyielding.

"Prince Loki." Several in the elven contingent greeted him with bows of the head.

"It's been a long time…" Princess Tawariell added, seemingly without thinking.

"That it has." Loki agreed, voice tinged with sarcasm and something most would describe as malice, though I knew it was meant to hide the hurt. "Nearly nine hundred years. Since you all decided I ought to be punished for the Allfather's choice. Like it was my decision to forget my own match. Like I didn't suffer the loss and almost went mad by it! I did go mad, for centuries I lost myself to the insanity of a broken soul-bond; grief and pain I never knew the origin of. I was alone, wanna know why? Because no one remembered to be there for me, no one knew anything that might point to me needing anyone at all… not even myself! And so I lost myself in it all, in the grief, the pain, the pure insanity; I even lost Helena! My child, the light of my life… until I found my Nightingale, or she found me, whichever." His voice turned quieter. "She's my match, she always has been and she always will be my match. But she's not your Princess anymore, she hasn't been for a long time, and you need to accept that. It is true she sent you that letter. This world needs help, and we knew her revealing herself was a sure-fire way to convince you to come, but you need to accept right now that she's not Tinúviel, she hasn't been for centuries and she will never be again. She's midgardian, and her name is Nightingale."

The name meant exactly the same, but there was more to his words than that, and everyone understood that, even if most of those present (all the humans certainly) didn't understand much of what was being said. But they would, soon enough they would.

 **xXx 3** **rd** **Person POV xXx**

When the story of Princess Tinúviel of Alfheim and Asgard, Loki's wife and match (formerly Lalaith Mirloth, crown princess and almost-queen of Alfheim) was told, it wasn't easy on anyone, especially not on Nightingale and Loki themselves. Thankfully, Erynion and Thenidiel handled the telling of most of it, except for the parts they themselves did not know. The greatest surprise was perhaps when Ylva and Fenrir offered their own contributions, as no one was expecting that. Thor, Sif and the rest of the Aesir did not remember any of it, though Thor at least did not doubt the truthfulness of it all either (Sif didn't either, but she kept a facade of nonchalance, still not quite ready to accept that Loki had once been as good as a brother to her, more dear than Thor ever had been or would be).

It was Nightingale's decision to reveal her status as a banshee. It was clear that even her match hadn't been expecting that one; but Nightingale knew she'd be using that power in the next battle, even with all her skills with a bow (Erynion had actually delivered to her her old bow and quiver of arrows, which delighted her) and with the throwing knives (the dwarves had insisted on gifting her with a set) and even some hand-to-hand and magic (her love's magic) her greatest skill was her voice, her wail. So she ignored the horrified, pitying or even dark looks from almost all the elves and held her head high.

"You have my respect, my lady, and that of us all." Prince Caél told her in a very solemn tone. "You are a true warrior, and it shall be our honor to fight by your side."

+The honor is all mine, my prince.+ She replied in Iglishmek.

The rest of the month was spent with the various groups learning to work and fight together. Halfway through that time the satellites detected the rest of Thanos's army entering the Solar System. Their number was far greater than any of the previous invasions, and they all knew Thanos was with them, because all those who were bonded to the Stones could feel the resonance from the one the Mad Titan carried. The time was coming, and no one could predict quite how the upcoming battle would end.

They were all as ready as they could be. The moment that the army passed the moon, authorities in all the most powerful countries gave the authorization for the space weapons to be used again. And it wasn't just that, with help from the Milano, and a new robot created by Tony Stark and controlled by one of his AIs, called JOCASTA, they'd managed to place the equivalent of mines and traps all around the planet (a safe distance from the atmosphere). The strategy wasn't quite as effective as it had been with the first wave, but they were at a point where any amount of help was welcome.

At the same time the space weapons were activated Dr. Stephen Strange, in his position as Sorcerer Supreme, gave the order to raise the Shield. It was something the Mystic Order had been working on from the moment the Guardians announced what was coming their way. Crystals with magic saved were placed in strategic locations across the globe, and the sorcerers used the energy in them to create a shield meant to protect the planet from any and all attacks. It wouldn't last long, perhaps 24 hours. There was only one opening to the shield, right above North New Mexico. Meant to make sure Thanos and his armies would head straight there; though Loki's and his match's presence, and the resonance from the other stones (or the ones who'd come to hold their power) made them confident it would have happened anyway).

The elves nearly had an apoplexy when it was announced Nightingale would be at the front. The Avengers got the logic though. They couldn't risk her wails once the battle truly began, there was no way they could be sure she'd only hurt the enemy then. So instead she would be the first line of attack, projecting as much power as she could in order to take down as many enemies as possible before the rest got into the thick of it; Loki would be there to support her and to make sure their allies wouldn't be affected by her power.

It worked, better than they could have expected even. Dozens of chitauri dropped like flies the moment the wail reached them, even one of the leviathans. And then things got insane. Because the army wasn't formed only by chitauri, but also other insectoid-like creatures, somewhat stronger and far more intelligent than the chitauri. Nightingale had no idea the kind of pitch she might need to hurt them, and wasn't willing to risk hurting her allies instead, so instead she closed her mouth, took hold of her bow and began shooting arrows.

From Avengers Tower, the noncombatants watched the proceedings in a room set up expressly for that purpose, through screens that showed everything caught by cameras in micro-drones Tony had built and released onto the battlefield earlier. The cameras were keeping up with all of them, making sure their loved ones would know what was going on, warn them in case they missed something and, in the worst case scenario of them actually losing, so they'd be aware and prepare (as much as they could prepare if the group actually lost…).

"She's a wonder… an impossibility." Princess Tawariell murmured, eyes fixed straight on the reincarnated she-elf, being shown on one of the screens.

The video showed Nightingale as she dropped to her knees, bent as far back as she could to avoid an enemy attack, before using her legs to trip him straight onto her longest knife, already in hand; then she jumped onto her feet in time to kick another opponent into the path of one of her match's blades, and somersaulted over his slightly bent back at the same time she called on a magic shield to protect him from two enemies that had been approaching from his blind spot. Through it all Loki kept taking down enemies left and right, never getting into his love's path, never hurting her, though once or twice his blades seem to pass a hairsbreadth from her. It truly looked impossible, beyond that even.

"You look like you've never seen something like that." Betty Banner, Dr. Bruce Banner (aka the Hulk)'s wife, commented, curious.

"Never." The elven princess shook her head for emphasis. "You need to understand, in Alfheim, we women do not fight. We're not meant to. And royals such as I, as she… we've been told for centuries that Princess Tinúviel was the perfect crown-princess: all beauty and elegance and grace and… they never told us any of this. That she could fight, that she wanted to… yet I know now this isn't new. Lord Erynion… he told us that she could fight all those years ago too, even if she didn't do it much, she learned how, she chose to…"

"So what?" Mary Jane Osborn, wife of Harry Osborn (the Goblin) asked, somewhat defensively. "That doesn't make her any less."

She might not know Loki and Nightingale much, but they were helping her husband, the father of her unborn child, so of course she was going to defend them.

"No, it doesn't." Princess Tawariell agreed. "It doesn't make her less, it makes her… more. It means the Elders are wrong. It is possible to be a she-elf and a warrior, to be a princess and still want to fight, to protect…"

On the battlefield Thenidiel smiled. Thanks to her psychic gifts she could keep an eye on their princess even as the battle went on. She had seen the conversation that had just taken place. It'd seem Tinúviel (Nightingale) was causing a stir even without meaning to, the Elders were in for a rude awakening; she and Erynion were going to enjoy what would be coming upon Alfheim once they all got back. And it wasn't even just Tawariell's realization about what she-elves could do; she wondered how much longer she and the young dwarven prince would be able to ignore the bonds pulling at them…

The battle was long, it was exhausting. All too soon the warriors, particularly the humans, began taking turns to find whatever rest they could. It wasn't easy, as they either couldn't or outright wouldn't leave the battlefield, but they just weren't able to keep on fighting so long without at least taking a breath. At some point some of the less powerful magical users, those who hadn't been involved in the fight but were still around, took to popping by with food, drinks, even potions to try and help in their own way.

And then they got it, the opening none of them had expected, hadn't believed possible. The Guardians managed to overtake Thanos long enough for Mantis to jump on him, pressing all the force of her own empathy upon him in an attempt to make him sleep. It wasn't easy, he was a Titan after all, and far too powerful. But the moment they realized what was going on Spider-Man was all over them, shooting webs as fast as he could to try and restrain the warlord, and he didn't even cry out when his wife dropped out of somewhere, with web-shooters of her own and began doing the same.

The advantage didn't last long, it couldn't. And hard as they tried they just couldn't take the gauntlet off him. Then it happened. The Mad Titan, realizing what as being done to him, roared, throwing Mantis back, so hard she ended slamming against a nearby building, out cold, where Drax hurried to pick her up before some other enemy could take advantage of her vulnerability. The Mad Titan managed to free one of his hands and went to smack Gwen, who didn't see it coming. She only survived because her husband did, he picked her up, shot another web and was off a fraction of a second before the Mad Titan could hit either of them. The others just knew they could take the warlord down; they'd managed to take him by surprise once, it wouldn't happen again and then, something occurred to one of them.

"Nightingale, wail!" Gamorra cried out. "Shatter the stone!"

No one had the slightest idea what might happen. It wasn't like in the other occasions, when one of them had technically already had the stone: Vision, Jane, and the very first time with Loki. But they knew not what else to do. So Nightingale focused as hard as she could, took a deep breath, and let out the loudest wail she could.

It worked, better than anyone could have expected. The jewel didn't just crack, it shattered. Thanos, having just forced his other arm free, reached for the pieces with that same hand, but it was impossible. While the gauntlet might have been created to hold the jewel, the power itself was an entirely different matter. It still took quite a lot of people by surprise when they saw who else had thrown himself into catching the pieces; all except perhaps his own team… it was Peter Quill, the one many called Star-Lord.

Quill's left hand closed around the shattered jewel a second before he hit the ground fully, his body seizing the moment contact was made.

"Peter!" Gamora screamed, hand already extended towards him.

She was the only one close enough; as Drax was still guarding Mantis a number of yards away, while Rocket, Groot and Nebula were in a completely different zone, dealing with their own opponents (surprisingly, they worked quite well together, all three of them).

Peter responded instinctively to his lover's call as he extended his free hand towards her, the power swallowing them both the moment they touched. No talks were needed, no agreement, the moment their eyes met they both knew exactly what to do, the words began spilling from their lips before they were quite aware of it:

"I promise you that from this day on, you will be my only one. I shall look at no other the way I look at you, I shall think of no other the way I think about you, I shall talk to no other the way I talk to you, I shall desire no other the way I desire you, and I shall lay with no other the way I lay with you. I shall be with no other for you are now and forever shall be my one and only; my friend, my lover, my partner, my match…"

It didn't matter if they'd only ever heard those words, those ancient vows, one time, the words still came to them as easy as if they were something they knew by heart, and always had.

The Mad Titan roared in fury the moment he realized what had just happened, what he'd just lost.

"Kill them all!" He demanded of his army.

Most of the heroes were still a bit in shock, not having expected the sudden twist. Yes, Thanos was still a huge threat, and there were still quite a lot of the insectoids but… they were closer to ending the battle, to winning it, than a good number of them ever thought possible.

Nightingale looked like she could have laughed, even if the fight wasn't over just yet, Peter and Gamora obtaining the jewel was been enough to send everyone's spirits rising, she felt almost drunk in the joy and positivism everyone was suddenly exuding. Enough she was suddenly quite confident she could find the right pitch to take down the insectoids. Her match was still fighting, calling on ice and throwing daggers and spears at anyone who thought to come at him. After making sure that no enemy would take advantage of her distraction to have a go at her Maverick, Nightingale took a moment to center herself, drew in a breath and then…

A scream tore through the noon sky. It took a handful of seconds for those hearing it to realize it wasn't the banshee wail most had begun to grow used to; the voice screaming wasn't female at all, but male. A cry of pain, despair… of absolute devastation. And at the center of it all Loki knelt, his beloved in his arms, blood staining her pale skin and dress. It came from the slash at her neck, which Loki was still pressing his fingers to, calling on ice in an attempt to seal the wound, to keep his beloved from bleeding out, not knowing what else to do. He was so lost in his own agony he didn't notice when his whole body shifted, from the alabaster skinned and jade-green eyed figure he usually had, to blue skin with tribal-like black markings and eyes that were black on red. And it didn't stop there, the ground, the cement of the street beneath him froze completely, from one moment to the next, an effect that extended fast, and it wasn't just the streets, whenever the ice reached an insectoid, it too would turn to ice; though it never affected any of the warriors. Even lost in his worst agony Loki still knew who his allies, his family and friends, were.

Loki was still lost in his own despair when Sif dropped on Nightingale's other side. Lost enough he didn't notice when she reached for the silk bag she always kept tied to her waist, slipping a hand inside, she ignored the thin cylinder she knew to be the black-jade traversal flute and instead grasped the bigger of the two vials. It was a bit tricky, to maneuver it into Nightingale's limp and non-responding fingers, since she was the only one who could open them. But Sif managed, and then she carefully tipped the dying girl's head back, carefully pouring the contents of the vial straight into her mouth.

Nightingale was panting, ragged, damp attempts at breathing. When the liquid hit the back of her throat she swallowed (or did her best to) automatically. She still ended with some down her windpipe, instead of her esophagus. It made her cough again, worse than before, to the point where she actually spat a mouthful of blood, moving enough that Loki just couldn't keep his hand on her slashed throat, and he just wasn't sure the ice would be enough.

"What in the abyss did you just do?!" He roared at Sif, blue hand reaching for her neck.

Sif barely managed to pull back enough to keep him from taking hold of her neck, something that would have killed her in seconds, considering he'd gone Jotun… he still kept trying to reach her, his ire so great he wasn't really thinking anymore. And then, the one thing that could stop him even as deep as he was in his madness, the one thing he'd always answer to…

"Fintalëharyon…"

Loki froze right as he'd been about to throw himself at Sif, turning his head so fast he almost gave himself whiplash. She was there, still half laying on the frozen ground, her own hand was on her bloody throat. Except, when she pulled her hand away, he couldn't help but notice her skin looked almost untouched, little more than a scar marring her pale throat and…

"My Nightingale…" He croaked, breathless at the other detail his mind still couldn't fully grasp, it seemed too good to be real.

"My Maverick…" She murmured.

Her voice was quiet, raspy with disuse and yet… it was there. It was there and it was her voice. Loki was sure he wasn't hallucinating it…

Nightingale was in his arms in the next second and then the two were holding onto each other, as tight as they possibly could, crying and laughing at the same time; stopping every few seconds to kiss the other; on the lips, the cheeks, the neck, the forehead, everywhere they could reach.

As the beautiful laughter echoed all around Thenidiel let out a breath she'd been holding almost from the moment Thanos demanded his army kill them all. She'd known what was coming, had known it was a pivotal moment… she hadn't known how it'd turn out. It could have gone either way, she knew that much. The Nightingale would die and Loki would go mad again, with no one able to pull him back this time; or she would live, and they'd finally get the chance at the lives that had been so cruelly denied to them so long before… It had been up to chance, to decisions that hadn't been made yet; not until the goddess of war decided to put aside her own doubts, at the second prince, at the past she couldn't remember, at herself, and act the way her instincts told her she should. She still wasn't the person Loki and Tinúviel had seen as a sister, the one who'd almost given her life for the elven princess once, who'd embraced her black hair as a signal of what she'd survived, of her own strength… she wasn't, but she might be one day.

Laughter continued for quite a while, expanding from the two laying there on the street to many others. And there was more than enough reason for it. The battle was over, they'd won…

 **xXx**

Thanos wasn't dead. That probably would have been too much to ask for. But with the permanent loss of the Stones and the heavy blow Loki had dealt him and his army, the magic-users managed to band together and imprison him in the deepest corner of the Mirror Dimension; locked under a time-loop that would only break with the Supreme Sorcerer's death (which hopefully wouldn't happen for a while yet).

Nick Fury and Kathryn Adler took charge the moment the battle ended, setting up guards and a perimeter. They couldn't allow someone to slip in and steal remains of their enemies like had happened following the chitauri attack on NY in 2013. Also, considering that everything was still under a layer of ice they weren't quite sure what to do about that either. Fury had been all for demanding Loki undo whatever it was he'd done, until his lover went and stopped him, warning him not to even think about interrupting the sorcerer and her niece until they were recovered.

The moment the battle was over Loki had taken off with Nightingale for their own private accommodations, a room inside one of the abandoned bunkers. He didn't say a word to anyone, his whole focus on the woman in his arms, the love of his existence, whom he'd almost lost… again. He wouldn't be letting go of her anytime soon.

Nightingale said nothing. Even with the return of her voice, she was out of practice, after so many years saying nothing at all. The moment they got to the bunker Loki stripped her of her dress, throwing it aside without a care, it was completely ruined anyway, the left side of it covered in so much blood… Nightingale probably would have been sick at the mere sight of it if she hadn't been so completely out of it at the time. The two stepped into the shower together, taking advantage of the fact that the others would probably take a few minutes to settle down, checking in with their respective teams, before even thinking about heading for the showers (Loki probably wouldn't have reacted nicely to anyone trying to intrude in their private time, and the showers weren't exactly private in those bunkers).

The sorcerer took great care of washing his love. Every strand of her hair, every inch of her skin, not just to make sure there would be no trace of the blood, of the wound that almost took her from him, but also in a way, to reassure himself that she was still there, with him, that she hadn't left him. Nightingale let him, and then made sure to return the favor; even if she'd been the one to nearly die… she'd almost lost him too, and that thought was enough to make her feel like she couldn't let him go, couldn't closer her eyes for more than what it took to blink, just to be sure he wouldn't vanish.

Eventually they were done though. With their clothes completely ruined Loki simply conjured a pair of comfortable pants for himself, and her sleeping-robe. Then scooped her into his arms and carried her all the way to their little room. Making sure they were inside it and under lock before anyone could catch a look at either of them. Neither of them were ready to share the other with anyone, not even with their families. So instead they just laid on the bed, arms around each other and fell asleep.

It was the most restful sleep either of them had had in almost a decade…

In the end, most of the heroes followed that example for the most part. Retiring to their rooms, or sometimes forming small groups, they cleaned up and either took a nap, or at the very least rested for a while. It surprised no one to know that none of them had truly slept the night before (no one was actually willing to ask Tony how often he'd slept in the last month… though Pepper knew it was less than at any other point since they'd married). And how could they have, knowing what was heading their way? But with the battle finally over, the armies destroyed, Thanos defeated, they could finally relax.

When the song began no one knew quite what was going on, even then they all felt compelled to leave whatever it was they might have been doing and follow the melody to its origin. Eventually they made it outside the bunkers and to the front-yard; where they found the singer standing by a tree in a princess-style, floor-length, sleeveless, straight-necked, pale lilac dress with a white-gold sash; equally white slippers on her feet and waves of dark-auburn hair falling down to her mid-back; Her head tipped towards the stars beginning to twinkle on the darkening sky as she sang:

"I won't just survive

Oh, you will see me thrive

Can't write my story

I'm beyond the archetype"

"I won't just conform

No matter how you shake my core

'Cause my roots—they run deep, oh"

"Oh, ye of so little faith

Don't doubt it, don't doubt it

Victory is in my veins

I know it, I know it

And I will not negotiate

I'll fight it, I'll fight it

I will transform"

"That… that's the most beautiful voice I've ever heard." Several of those presents whispered at the same time, quietly enough so as not to interrupt the singer.

"That's the Nightingale." Gamora and Erynion announced at the same time.

It was then that everyone realized it. They hadn't at first because of how different she looked. Not just the clothes, but even her looks, her hair no longer looked ashen, and while her skin was still light, it didn't look quite as pale. And well… she was singing. And then they saw Loki, standing beside her (they hadn't seen him before because of the tree) looking at her like no one else existed in the whole universe but her; and maybe for him, that's how it was in that very moment.

"When, when the fire's at my feet again

And the vultures all start circling

They're whispering, "You're out of time,"

But still I rise"

"This is no mistake, no accident

When you think the final nail is in

Think again

Don't be surprised

I will still rise"

Nightingale and Loki didn't really notice their audience, lost as they were both in the song and in each other and that was okay. They were safe. Thanos had been dealt with, as had all its armies, they could finally let their guard down (not completely, they could never do that, warriors that they were, but enough that they no longer felt like their lives might end any moment).

Nightingale hadn't sung for so long, almost a decade! And her last song had been about her missing love (who back then hadn't even known he was her love…). She had missed her voice, but more than that, she'd missed everything else that went with it; not just the ability to talk, and to sing, but the feelings behind her songs. She'd willingly become a banshee in order to be able to fight to protect those she loved, but she'd never forgotten what she preferred, what she wished to do with her voice; and finally, after so long, she had the chance to truly sing once again…

"I must stay conscious

Through the madness and chaos

So I call on my angels

They say"

"Oh, ye of so little faith

Don't doubt it, don't doubt it

Victory is in your veins

You know it, you know it

And you will not negotiate

Just fight it, just fight it

And be transformed"

Life wasn't perfect, it'd never be, but that was okay. They, not just Loki and Nightingale, but Thor, Jane, the Avengers, and everyone else, they were willing to fight to make it as perfect as it could possibly be. They knew sometimes things could go wrong, just as they knew it'd be worth it in the end. It had been thus far after all; even with everything that had gone wrong at times, in the end it was all worth it.

Loki and Nightingale had always known that battle, that war, was coming, they hoped to be able to influence things enough that they stood a chance at winning; they even hoped that at some point they might find their freedom again. And they had, in ways neither of them could have ever planned for. Because they weren't just free, they were happy, they had friends, and family, people who believed in them, who trusted them (on and off the battlefield). From where they were standing things couldn't have possibly gone much better and they could only improve from there!

"'Cause when, when the fire's at my feet again

And the vultures all start circling

They're whispering, "You're out of time,"

But still I rise"

"This is no mistake, no accident

When you think the final nail is in

Think again

Don't be surprised

I will still rise"

"Don't doubt it, don't doubt it

Oh, oh, oh, oh

You know it, you know it

Still rise

Just fight it, just fight it

Don't be surprised

I will still rise"

* * *

So, did you like it? Got pretty dark, I know, but I would like to believe it was worth it.

If anyone's interested in my original works, please I'd love if you could buy them. I have three original novels published thus far (though the first is only in Spanish), they're all available in Amazon and B&N in both paperback and digital formats. You'd really make my year people!

Next piece will come in a little over three weeks (as week go back to the usual posting dates). It's a crossover, and the voice is a little different from what you may be used to. Hope you'll enjoy it. Have you ever wondered what would happen if Nightingale and Stiles (TW) met? I did, and _Ravensoul_ is what came out. See ya in three weeks!


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